


Ice Cream Sundae with all the Toppings

by lasvegas_lights



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 16:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15441300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasvegas_lights/pseuds/lasvegas_lights
Summary: Amanda gets some bad news, but with help of Martin and the others, finds a way to make peace with it.





	Ice Cream Sundae with all the Toppings

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks as usual to the awesome intricatecakes and the fabulous thatfaerieprincess for reading this before I posted! Come say hi on Tumblr: http://starlingbite.tumblr.com/

Amanda’s boots thudded on the soft forest ground as she jumped out of the van. She stretched out her arms in both directions and moaned as her tight muscles finally found relief. As she arched her back, her spine popped loudly. It had been a long seven hours cramped in the back with only a short bathroom break halfway. 

When she breathed in, the air was cool and fresh in her lungs and everywhere she looked there was tall redwoods and pine. Everytime the van stopped, she loved the thrill of stepping out into a brand new place which would inevitably lead to a brand new adventure, and today was no different. 

The quietness was broken by the sound of a loud roar as Vogel launched himself out the back of the van behind Amanda and ran off into the woods, disappearing behind a wide tree. Cross and Gripps jumped out one after the other both letting out howls which echoed and filled the forest with sound. She smiled as they chased after Vogel, racing each other as they weaved in between the trees. 

The smell of cigarette smoke wafted over in her direction and she circled the van to find Martin leaning against the warm bonnet, his neck arched and his eyes closed as he exhaled the smoke up into the air. Shards of light broke through the treeline and bathed Martin in a warm light that made Amanda swallow hard.

By the way his lips curled slightly as she moved towards him, he could feel her presence. It always left a pleasant feeling inside her when she saw him like this. So often Martin was on high alert, constantly on the lookout for danger, but out in the middle of nowhere, just them, she knew he felt safe. She liked that she made him feel safe. 

“What you lookin at, Drummer?” He brought his head down and cracked open one eye to look at her. 

She didn’t respond straight away. Pressing her hip into the side the van she joined Martin in the patch of sun. With a flick of his wrist, he offered his cigarette in her direction. Their fingers met with the usual spark of electricity as she slid the cigarette out of his grip and brought it to her lips. 

“We camping tonight?” she asked after exhaling. 

He shook his head. “There’s a cabin nearby.”

Martin’s answer surprised Amanda. “You’ve been here before?” The Rowdy 3 weren’t known for having regular haunts, it made Blackwing too easy to find them. 

“Once or twice.”

“Lead the way.”  She handed the cigarette back and pushed away from the vehicle to grab her bag from inside it. Slinging it over one shoulder, she followed Martin through the trees until a small building came into view. The cabin looked self-built and rustic from the outside but when Martin forced open the door the inside was cozy and welcoming. On the left was a simple kitchenette with sink and hot plate which lead to a small dining table with seating for two and a couch at the back covered in blankets and furs. On the right was an open doorway and Amanda could see a comfortable looking bed and when she peered into the room she could see another door on the other side of the room which she guessed lead to a bathroom. 

“Generator’s out back.” Martin gestured out the door and left to get it working. 

Leaving him to it, Amanda stepped into the bedroom and dropped her bag on the end of the bed. She dug around until she found her dead phone and accompanying charger and plugged it into the nearest socket. The screen stayed black for a long moment and then there was a rumble outside and the light on the phone blinked red, letting Amanda know it had started to charge. 

Returning to her bag, she retrieved some clean clothes and stepped into the bathroom. The shower looked basic with just a metal shower head and circular curtain pole around it, but at least it was clean. She had gotten used to roughing it since travelling with the boys. Washing her hair in bathroom sinks at gas station stops or worse, freezing cold streams out in the middle of nowhere, wasn’t unusual when living on the road. The shower was practically luxurious in comparison. 

Twisting the taps until water started running, she held her hand under the spray until she felt it warm up enough for her to slip out of her dirty clothes and step underneath the shower. Grime from the hours of travelling slid from her body and she sighed in relief at being clean for the first time in days. She stayed until the water until it started to cool down. Turning the shower off, she reached out from behind the curtain, grabbed the towel hanging off the nearby rack and wrapped it tightly around her body. 

When she pushed the shower curtain back, Martin was leaning in the open doorway. She smirked at him as he stepped into the small room, forcing Amanda to retreat backwards. 

“What are you looking at?” She mirrored his earlier words as his eyes looked her up and down, lingering on the damp skin on view.  He continued forwards until she was backed up against the wall. 

“The others?” she asked as his right hand rose up and slipped in between the folds of the towel. 

“Outside,” he replied softly. She knew he could sense the other Rowdies and would know if they were close enough to interrupt. His other hand slid around the back of her neck and pulled her forwards until their lips met. 

* * *

Amanda sat on the edge of the bed and finished drying her hair with the same towel Martin had removed from her earlier. After enjoying some rare alone time, Martin had rejoined his brothers outside doing god knows what and giving Amanda space to finish getting dressed.

Throwing the wet towel in the direction of the bathroom, her eyes fell on her phone, the red light now green. 

Reaching over, her thumb pressed down on the power button until the screen switched on. The loading screen faded away to show the photo of her and her boys she’d set as her wallpaper and she smiled down at it as several notifications beeped. She knew there would be a few panicked messages from Todd. He hated when he couldn’t get hold of her, his over-active imagination thinking the worse at all times. 

Pressing play on the first of four messages waiting for her, she pressed the phone against her ear and listened”

 

_ “Hey ‘Manda It’s me, Just checking in, call me back okay?” _

 

_ “Are you pissed off at me about something? Call me as soon as you get this.” _

 

_ “Amanda, this isn’t funny anymore...I need to know you’re okay, I’m starting to worry.” _

 

_ “Amanda...I don’t know where you are or what you’re doing right now but I have to hope you’re okay...Look...I didn’t want to tell you like this but I have no choice….Aunt Kathy died last night, it was a stroke...I’m sorry, I know how much she meant to you….the funeral’s on Friday, hope you can make it” _

 

Amanda’s heart dropped into her stomach. The message was from a week ago, the funeral was taking place today on the other side of the country and Amanda was missing it. 

“Fuck!” She shouted. Her first reaction was to chuck the phone across the room. It skidded on the wood floor and smashed into the door post. 

Sensing her distress from outside, the Rowdy 3 shuffled into the compact cabin and stood squashed together in the entrance to the bedroom. 

“You okay, Boss?” Vogel asked sincerely. 

Amanda shook her head slowly and brushed away the moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand, smudging her freshly applied eyeliner. “My aunt...she uh...she died.”

Through glassy eyes, Amanda watched her friends nudge each other, unsure how to react or what to say. Whilst they had all experienced their own share of pain in their life, she wasn’t sure if anyone of them had experienced loss. It wasn’t something they liked to talk about and Amanda never wanted to push. 

Finally, her four travelling companions stepped into the room. Without saying a word, Martin sat down on the bed at her right, Cross on her left. Vogel and Gripps lowered themselves to the carpet at Amanda’s feet. 

Surrounded by her protectors, Amanda was once again reminded that the so called ‘dangerous animals’ she lived with were so much more human than anyone gave them credit for. 

“Are we going?” Martin asked softly. 

Amanda shook her head and swallowed down the lump in her throat. “It’s too late, the funeral was today.”

It was clear from their silence that the Rowdy 3 were still unsure what to say to her but their presence was enough for Amanda. Her right hand lifted off her lap and slid around Martin’s wrist tightly, her fingers pressing into his skin until she could feel the steady pulse underneath. At the same time, her left hand dropped onto Gripps’ broad shoulder and his hand rested on top. She let in a deep shaky breath and drew on the strength they were offering her. 

After a moment, Amanda reluctantly let go and lifted herself up. Stepping forwards carefully so not to step on her friends, she retrieved her phone from the floor. There was a new crack in the screen from where she had thrown it. 

“I should call Todd, let him know I’m alive,” she sighed. 

“You’ll be okay, Drummer?” Martin checked. 

“I will be,” she assured him. 

Vogel and Gripps rose to their feet and followed Cross out of the bedroom. As Martin passed, he ducked down to press a kiss to the nape of Amanda’s neck. He didn’t need to say anything but she knew he would stick close by, just in case. 

Taking another deep breath, she found Todd’s number in the address book and tapped the call button. 

* * *

Amanda couldn’t sleep.

The call with Todd hadn’t gone well, the combination of Todd’s over-protectiveness and her own distress from the bad news had meant the call had devolved into an argument. After hanging up the call, Amanda joined the others outside to let off a little steam. She screamed until her voice was hoarse and ran until her muscles ached. After wrestling in the deep piles of leaves with Cross and Vogel, she climbed up the tallest tree she could find, Gripps and Martin climbing up behind her just in case she had an attack. As the sun fell away, she climbed onto Martin’s back and let him carry her back to the cabin where they smoked and drank until it was time to sleep. 

Except sleep didn’t come, even though Amanda was mentally and physically exhausted. She laid on her back in bed and stared up at the ceiling, Martin’s arm slung over her waist as he snored softly beside her. 

Carefully, Amanda slipped out from under him and tiptoed out of the room. Pausing outside the room, she glanced over to the living room where Gripps, Cross, and Vogel were asleep. Cross had won the fight for the couch whilst Gripps and Vogel shared the rug below, couch cushions acting as pillows. 

She opened the front door as quietly as possible and stepped out onto the veranda. It had started raining in the night and the air was cool and damp. In just a vest and shorts, the temperature left Amanda shivering. Letting her stubborn streak take over, she refused to turn back to go inside and instead lowered herself down onto the bench that was pushed up against the wall of the cabin. She wrapped her arms around her body, closed her eyes and focused on the pitter patter sound of the rain all around her. 

She jerked in surprise and her eyes snapped open when she felt a blanket cover her shoulders and when she looked up Martin was standing over her. Gripping the edges of the blanket with both hands, she pulled it tighter around herself and sent Martin a grateful look. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” she admitted. 

Martin sat down next to her, close enough for their knees to touch, and he placed a warm hand down on her thigh. With his free hand, he offered his lighter and cigarette box towards Amanda which she took and immediately lighted one. She took a long drag, exhaled the smoke and passed the cigarette back to Martin. 

“My parents weren’t the most involved y’know, I’m not sure why they even had us when they certainly wasn’t interested in paying us any attention.” She snorted. “But Aunt Kathy...she loved us like we were her own....I spent as much time as I could over at her house, I swear whole weeks went by when I didn’t see my parents.”

Martin said nothing as she spoke. After a few puffs he handed the cigarette back and she held it between two shaking fingers. “When I got sick, she came to all my hospital appointments, brought me food and supplies when Todd couldn’t...she called me every day to make sure I was okay” A smile crossed her face at the memories. “After I left with you, I wrote to her, to let her know I was safe and I know she was happy for me...but now all I can think about is after all she did for me, I wasn’t there when it mattered.”

“You regret it?” Martin finally spoke. “Leavin’ with us?”

“Never,” Amanda answered without hesitation. “I love this, I love-” She cut herself off and met Martin’s eyes for the briefest of moments. “I don’t regret it.” 

“But?”

Amanda didn’t answer him. She maneuvered herself around until she could press her back against his chest and brought the cigarette back to her lips. Martin’s arm slid around her waist and he dropped his chin onto her shoulder. 

“Not being there for her at the end, having Todd pissed off at me because my phone died, missing birthdays and all that shit that regular people care about...that’s the price I pay for my freedom, for actually getting to live my life.”

She stubbed the cigarette out on the back of the bench and flicked it onto the ground at their feet. 

They sat in silence for a long time. Long enough for the rain to stop and the sun to rise. 

“Where d’you want to go?” Martin asked. It wasn’t the first time he had left the decision making up to her and it always left a warm feeling inside her at how deeply he trusted her. 

“We pass a diner on our way down here?” Amanda questioned. 

She felt him nod. “A few miles back.”

“That’s where I want to go.”

* * *

Amanda slid into the red vinyl booth and shuffled up to let Cross slide in after her and then Vogel. On the other side, Martin sat down opposite her, Gripps last to make himself comfortable in the booth. It was early enough that the diner was still quiet and most of the tables were still empty. Over at the counter, two truckers were hunched over mugs of coffee.

“You gonna tell us what we’re doing here?” Cross asked. It certainly wasn’t their usual haunt and the Rowdy 3 looked out of place in the colourful interior of the diner. Above their table a pink neon light in the shape of bacon flickered. 

Before Amanda could answer, a waitress appeared in front of the table, pad and pencil in her hand. “What can I get you guys?” she asked. 

“Five ice cream sundaes, with all the toppings.” Amanda ordered for all of them without even looking at the menu. 

The waitress didn’t blink at the early morning order of ice cream and scribbled it down on her pad. “You got it,” she strutted off towards the counter. 

Martin raised an eyebrow at Amanda. “You remember we don’t eat right?”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Just humour me.” She felt Martin’s boot come to rest against hers under the table. “Every friday, back when I was a kid, Aunt Kathy would pick me and Todd up from school and take us to this diner just out of town. She would let us pick anything from the menu for dinner and I always got a sundae with all the toppings.”

“Sounds about right,” Martin replied knowingly.

Amanda smiled. “Seeing as I couldn’t be there to say goodbye, I thought this was the next best thing. Remembering her this way...remembering the woman who let a six-year-old have ice cream for dinner without question to make up for parents who barely noticed her.”

A tray with five tall glasses was brought over to the table a few minutes later. Each glass was filled with ice cream, chocolate sauce, squirty cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. The waitress placed one down in front of each of them, followed by five long spoons and serviettes. 

With her index finger, Amanda scooped some scream off the top and sucked it into her mouth. She didn’t miss the dark look in Martin’s eyes in response and made a mental note to pick up a can of squirty cream when they passed through the next town. 

The boys sat in front of their slowly melting desserts and watched Amanda enjoy each spoonful of hers as she told stories about her aunt. After she was finished, she chucked enough money down onto the table to cover their costs and followed the others back out to the van

“Where now?” Martin looked over at Amanda as she climbed into the van.

Settling into the passenger seat and throwing her boots up onto the dashboard, she met Martin’s eyes. She wondered briefly, what Kathy would have thought about Martin, if she would have approved of him. 

His eyebrow arched. “Drummer?”

She blinked, realising she’d been staring at him for a too long without saying anything. She reassured him with a smile. “Surprise me.”

He seemed to approve of her answer and the van’s engine roared to life. The acceleration pushed Amanda back into her seat and her smile spread into a grin as they pulled out onto the main road. 

The phone in her pocket buzzed and she slid it out to find a message from Todd, checking if she was okay. She quickly typed a message back, letting Todd know not to worry before throwing it into the glove compartment. 

“She would have hated you, y’know.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Martin looked amused at the thought. He wasn’t someone who spent a lot of time worrying about what other people thought of him. It was one of the many things Amanda liked about Martin. 

“But I think she would’ve seen how happy you make me, that would’ve been enough for her,” she admitted. 

Martin’s eyes left the road ahead and flicked over to her. “That so?”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Like you don’t  _ know _ .” 

Martin laughed low under his breath at her retort. He didn’t say anything but swapped hands on the wheel so he could throw an arm over Amanda’s shoulders. She shivered as his thumb brushed over a patch of available skin on the side of her neck. He knew she was sensitive there. 

She turned her head to look out of the windscreen in an attempt to suppress the effect Martin was having on her. The breeze rushing through the open side window cooled down her hot skin and she began plotting her revenge. The road was long and empty ahead of them and the van’s engine rumbled happily as Martin pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. 


End file.
